Package for smoking articles



A ril 12, 1966 N. c. SHOEMAKER PACKAGE FOR SMOKING ARTICLES 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 1, 1965 INVENTOR NORMAN C. SHOEMAKER ATTORNEYS April 1966 N. c; SHOEMAKER 3,245,525

PACKAGE FOR SMOKINGAR'IICLES Filed March 1, 1965 FIG.5

6 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.7

E34! ,4 W96 INVENTOR )I i NORMAN c. SHOEMAKER ATTORNEYS April 1966 N. c. SHOEMAKER 3,245,525

PACKAGE FOR SMOKING ARTICLES 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 1, 1965 FIG. IO

NORMAN c. SHOEMAKER FlG.8

ATTORNEYS April 12, 1966 N. c. SHOEMAKER PACKAGE FOR SMOKING ARTICLES 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 1, 1965 INVENTOR NORMAN C. SHOEMAKER WMWW ATTORNEYS April 1966 N. c. SHOEMAKER 3,245,525

PACKAGE FOR SMOKING ARTICLES Filed March 1, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 NORMAN C SHOEMAKER BY J 5 ATTORNEYS A ril 12, 1966 N. c. SHOEMAKER PACKAGE FOR SMOKING ARTICLES 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed March 1, 1965 m T N E V m NOR MAN C. SHOEMAKER A T TOR NEYS United States Patent 3,245,525 PACKAGE FOR SMOKING ARTICLES Norman C. Shoemaker, 8005 Woodbury Drive, Silver Spring, Md. 20910 Filed Mar. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 435,966 7 Claims. (Ci. 20641.Z)

The present invention relates to a new and novel package for smoking articles, and more particularly to a package for smoking articles such as cigarettes, cheroots, cigarillos, cigars and the like.

The invention is principally directed to a package for cigarettes and may be employed with regular or so-called king size cigarettes and also with cigarettes of smaller length than cigarettes conventionally on the market. This shorter length cigarette affords a number of practical advantages. Firstly, it has a tendency to cause a particular person to smoke less than would be the case if regular size cigarettes were smoked. In addition, it is quite handy and convenient since it permits a smoker to light a cigarette and smoke it for a relatively short period of time whereupon it is discarded. Less waste will occur with a short cigarette when a smoker only desires to smoke for a short period of time than would ordinarily occur where a conventional cigarette may be discarded while a considerable portion thereof remains unsmoked. After the first few puffs of a cigarette, most people are satisfied and let the cigarette go anyway.

The shorter type of cigarette contemplated by the present invention is also economically advantageous in that it may be manufactured with less cost per package of cigarettes.

The following discussion will indicate the manner in which the shorter type of cigarette of the present inven tion provides economic advantages. In an actual test, the weight of one package of a well known brand cigarette as packed is 22.933 grams. The weight of the package without the cellophane wrapper is 22.393 grams. The weight of one cigarette from the freshly opened package is 1.011 grams. The weight of five cigarettes from the freshly opened package is 4.955 grams. The weight of ten cigarettes from the freshly opened package is 10.250 grams. The weight of twenty cigarettes from the freshly opened package is 20.400 grams. It is evident that the cigarettes accordingly vary in weight in the same package of the same brand when first opened. Therefore, one cigarette averages 1.0 gram plus or minus 0.01 gram. The length of the cigarette is 69 mm. plus or minus 0.1 mm.

The length of a typical shorter cigarette according to the present invention is 55 mm. plus or minus 0.1 mm. The cigarette of the present invention weighs approximately 0.787 gram, and accordingly there is a difference of approximately 0.20 to 023 gram per cigarette between the cigarette of the present invention and a conventional cigarette.

Accordingly, twenty cigarettes of the present invention weigh approximately 15.75 grams resulting in a saving to the manufacture of approximately 4.25 grams as compared to regular size cigarettes thereby resulting in a saving of nearly 27%. Since the package of the present invention allows 24 cigarettes to be packed in a regular size package in a convenient manner, the customer gets four more smokes, but the total weight of the 24 shorter type cigarettes is only approximately 18.88 grams or about 1.12 grams less than the usual pack of 20 regular cigarettes. In this manner, the customer is offered more smokes at the same price in the same size package, and yet at the same time obtains about less actual weight of cigarettes per package.

Since most people throw away about 1 inch of butts of cigarettes, the butts will be about the same length utilizing shorter type cigarettes, and the actual smoking area will be reduced by a length of about 30% or more. There will accordingly be less smoke production per cigarette when employing the shorter type cigarette, and those who want to smoke less will still find the cigarettes according to the present invention quite satisfying since they are especially conceived for their convenience and economy.

The principles involved in the use of a shorter cigarette can also be applied to a filter type cigarette to supply a good short smoke with a further saving of tobacco used and an actual less consumption of whatever tars and nicotines or other factors that some feel are harmful when used in excess.

The short cigarettes of the present invention may be readily packaged within packages which are substantially of the same outer dimensions as those now on the market, the package itself being modified so as to provide a completely different method of dispensing the cigarettes from the package. Accordingly, the packages can be dispensed in automatic vending machines now on the market without any alterations of such machines.

In conventional cigarette packages, one of the end wall portions of the package is removable to allow the cigarettes to be moved out of the package. The cigarettes are disposed within the package in such a manner that the longitudinal axes thereof extend perpendicular to the removable end wall portion. This necessitates removal of the cigarettes from the package by grasping the end of the cigarette which is to be placed in the smokers mouth. In the case where the fingers may be dirty, it is obvious that the tip of the cigarette may become soiled in removing it from the package which is of course a very undesirable feature. It is accordingly evident that it is much more preferable to provide a dispensing arrangement wherein the cigarettes can be removed by manually grasping a central portion thereof rather than the tip portion thereof. The arrangement of the present invention does permit the smoking articles to be removed by so grasping the central portion rather than the tips thereof. This is accomplished in the present invention by so disposing the smoking articles that the longitudinal axes thereof are disposed substantially parallel with the opposite end portions of the package rather than perpendicular thereto as is the case with conventional cigarette packages.

With the arrangement of the present invention, the smoking articles can be removed with greater facility than is possible with conventional arrangements while at the same time maintaining the tips of the smoking articles in a clean and sanitary condition.

An additional feature of the arrangement of the present invention is the fact that the open ends of the cigarettes are protected, thereby retaining the freshness of the cigarette and preventing tobacco from being lost through such open end portions. This is in contrast to the arrangement of the conventional cigarette packages wherein after one end portion is removed, the open ends of the cigarettes are exposed and can soon lose their freshness as well as permiting the loss of tobacco therefrom.

In the arrangement of the present invention, one of the side wall portions of the package is provided with a removable portion which affords direct access into the interior of the package. This removable portion extends throughout a major portion of the side wall portion so that all of the smoking articles can be readily removed, the removable portion being positioned in the central part of the side wall portion such that central portions of the smoking articles disposed within the package can be manually grasped.

The present invention also affords an arrangement whereby a holding tab means is provided for normally holding the removable portion as well as an attached end wall portion in closed position so that the smoking articles will be protected and will not accidentally fall out of the package.

The wall portions of the package of the present invention consist of a plurality of layers of material as is the case with conventional cigarette packages. In the arrangement of the present invention, certain of these layers may be adhesively secured to one another at different points so as to cause different parts thereof to adhere to one another as hereinafter explained for accomplishing the purposes of the invention. A conventional tear strip may also be employed with the outermost layer of material, this tear strip being adapted to remove certain desired portions of the outermost layer when the package is opened.

In a further modification of the present invention, the package for smoking articles is combined with a protective container which comprises a neat compact unit for storing smoking articles.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel package for smoking articles, and more particularly to a package which is adapted to contain cigarettes and the like which may be of regular or king size or of shorter length than those in conventional presentday use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a unique package for smoking articles wherein the package may have substantially the same size as conventional packages for containing smoking articles and wherein the arrangement of the package facilitates dispensing of the smoking articles and permits the smoking articles to be manually grasped and removed from the package without touching the portion of the smoking article which is to be placed in the smokers mouth.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a package for smoking articles wherein after the package is opened so as to enable dispensing of the smoking articles disposed therewithin, the open ends of the smoking articles are continuously protected so as to retain the freshness of the smoking articles and to prevent loss of tobacco therefrom until the time that the smoking articles are deliberately removed from the package.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a package for smoking articles including a removable portion formed in one side wall of the package, and means for normally holding the removable portion in position to close off the package.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a novel combination including the package according to the present invention along with a surrounding protective container having a cutout formed in one wall thereof to enable ready access to the interior of the associated package.

Other objects and many attendant advantages of the invention will become more apparent when considered in connection with the specification and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a first modification of the package according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating the manner in which a portion of the outermost layer of the package is removed;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating the manner in which the separable end wall portion and the associated removable portion of one side wall portion of the package is adapted to be manually manipulated to gain access to the interior of the package;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating the separable end wall portion and the removable side wall portion moved to a further extent away from the remainder of the package so that the smoking articles therewithin can be readily dispensed therefrom;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along 4 line 5-5 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view illustrating the blanks of material employed to provide the wall portions of the package as shown in FIGS. 1-6;

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the package shown in FIG. 8 broken away to illustrate the various layers of material employed in this package;

FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of the package shown in FIG. 8 in a partly open position;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 with the package in a still further opened position;

FIG. 12 is a top perspective view of a further modified form of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a front view of the modification shown in FIG. 12 partly broken away to illustrate the different layers of material;

FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 12 illustrating a modification similar to that shown in FIG. 12 but with certain modifications therein;

FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIG. 14 illustrating the manner in which the tear strip is adapted to be pulled away to separate certain portions of the package;

FIG. 16 is a top perspective view of a further modified form of the invention;

FIG. 17 is a front view of the package shown in FIG. 16 and partly broken away to illustrate dilferent layers of material;

FIG. 18 is a top perspective view of a still further modified form of the invention wherein the novel package as disclosed in the other figures may be combined with a protective container;

FIG. 19 is a view similar to FIG. 18 illustrating the protective container in its open position;

FIG. 20 is a top perspective view of a further modified form of the package according to the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a view similar to FIG. 20 illustrating the manner in which a portion of the outermost layer of the package is removed;

FIG. 22 is a view similar to FIG. 20 illustrating the manner in which the separable end wall portion and the associated removable portion of one side wall portion of the package is adapted to be manually manipulated to gain access to the interior of the package; and

FIG. 23 is a view similar to FIG. 22 illustrating the separable end wall portion and the removable side wall portion moved to a further extent away from the remainder of the package so that the smoking articles therewithin can be readily dispensed therefrom.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIGS. 1-7 inclusive a first modification of the invention wherein the package for smoking articles comprises a substantially rectangular body means including a pair of opposite parallel side Walls 20 and 22 and a further pair of opposite side walls 24 and 26 joining side walls 20 and 22 and extending substantially perpendicular thereto. A first top end wall portion 28 closes off the upper end of the package as seen in the drawings and a bottom end wall portion 30 closes off the opposite end portion of the package.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 7, three blanks 40, 42 and 44 are illustrated, these blanks being similar to those employed in manufacturing conventional cigarette packages now on the market. The inner blank 40 is of conventional construction in that it is formed of paper having a foil covering on the outer surface thereof, such outer surface being presented to the viewer in this figure of the drawing. The second blank 42 is formed of paper having suitable printing thereon on the outer surface thereof which is also presented to the viewer in this figure. The outermost blank 44 is formed of a suitable transparent material such as cellophane or the like.

Blank 40 includes panel portions 20', 22', 24' and 26' which are separated from one another by fold lines and when the blank is in its folded position, these panels correspond to the side wall portions having similar reference numerals not primed. Blank 40 is also provided with a strip 28 across the top thereof and a strip 30' across the bottom thereof, these strips being provided with conventional fold lines 50 and 52 respectively whereby the strips are adapted to be folded into position to form one layer of the top wall portion 28 and the lower wall portion 30 respectively of the finished package. The top strip 28 is separated from the panels of the blank by a fold line 54 and the bottom strip 30' is separated from the panel portions by a fold line 56. A cut line 58 is formed through the material of panels 22' and 26' and extends into panel 20 and thence downwardly to a point where it joins the end of a fold line 62. A similar cut line 60 extends across panel 24 and the adjacent marginal portions shown to the right of this panel in FIG. 7, out line 60 extending into panel portion 20 and thence downwardly to join with the opposite end of fold line 62. These cut lines enable the top portion of the inner layer formed by blank 40 to be separated as hereinafter described and also provides a removable portion 64 in the inner layer of the material of the package.

The blank 42 includes panels 20", 22", 24" and 26" which correspond to the panels of similar numbers primed in blank 40 and are adapted to be disposed immediately outwardly thereof in the erected package. Blank 42 includes a lower strip 30" which is provided with conventional fold lines 70 and is separated from the panels by a fold line 72, whereby strip 30 is adapted to be folded to form a bottom end wall portion layer. Strip 30" is also preferably provided with a foil outer coating as seen in this figure.

Panels 20'', 22", 24" and 26 are separated by conventional fold lines from one another, and a out line 76 similar to out line 58 of blank 40 extends across panels 22"and 26" and into panel 20" whence it extends downwardly to join with one end of a fold line 78. A further out line 80 corresponding to the out line 60 of blank 40 extends across panel 24" and the marginal panel to the right thereof and also extends into panel 20" and thence downwardly to join with the opposite end of fold line 78 thereby defining a removable portion 82 the purpose of which will be hereinafter described.

Blank 44 formed of cellophane or the like includes panel portions 20", 22", 24" and 26" which form the outermost layers of the correspondingly numbered side wall portions as shown in FIGS. 14 wherein the numbers are not primed. It will be understood that the similarly numbered panels of each of the blanks are disposed adjacent the corresponding panel of the next blank and that the three blanks are superimposed so as to provide a multi-layered wall construction as is conventional in the art.

Blank 44 includes an upper strip 28" separated from the panels by a fold line 90, the upper strip being provided with conventional fold lines 92. Blank 44 also includes a lower strip 30" separated from the panels by a fold line 94 and being provided with the conventional fold lines 96. The panels of this blank are also separated from adjacent panels by suitable fold lines in a well known manner.

Blank 44 is also provided with a tear strip 98 extending throughout the length thereof and extending beyond the opposite ends thereof, tear strip 98 being suitably secured to the blank 44 and providing a means for tearing away the upper portion of the blank in a known fashion when the blank has been folded into its final assembled position.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the multi-layer construction of the Wall portions of the package are illustrated, and the manner in which the various wall portions are formed of a plurality of layers of material is illustrated. wall portions is of a three-layer thickness as in the bottom wall portion 30, while the top wall portion 28 comprises a two-layer thickness since blank 42 does not include an upper strip for folding over to form a top end wall portion layer.

It will also be noted as seen in FIG. 5 that a conventional seal indicated in cross section by reference numeral 106 extends completely across the top wall portion and downwardly along the side Wall portions 20 and 22, this seal being interposed beneath the outer layer 44 and over the intermediate layer 42.

Also as seen particularly in FIG. 5, a holding tab means indicated generally by reference numeral 108 is provided, this holding tab means being formed of a suitable adhesive material which is adapted to be adhesively secured to one of the paper layers by manual pressure. A substance which is suitable for the purpose of the present invention is identified as Micropore surgical tape #1530 manufactured by the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This holding tab means is adhesively secured to the seal means 106 as well as adjacent portions of the folded over strip 28 of the inner layer 40, the holding tab means extending down along and adhesively secured to the outer surface of panel 22 of the intermediate layer 42, the lower end of the holding tab means terminating in a non-adhesive enlarged grasping portion 110 whereby the holding tab means can be readily manually grasped for manipulating the top portion and the removable portion of the package as hereinafter described.

It will also be noted as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6 that a plurality of smoking articles such as cigarettes indicated generally by reference numeral are disposed within the package and are so oriented that the longitudinal axes thereof extend parallel with the upper and lower end wall portions 28 and 30 of the package.

Referring again to FIGS. 1-4 inclusive, the erected and assembled package is illustrated in FIG. 1 as sold to a customer. As shown in FIG. 2, the tear strip 98 has been grasped and torn completely around the outer layer or blank 44 so as to remove the upper portion 114 of this cellophane layer.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the holding tab means 103 has been manually grasped about the non-adhesive enlarged portion thereof and lifted upwardly. This causes the upper end wall portion 28 to separate from side wall portions 22, 24 and 26 along the cut lines provided in blanks 40 and 42 as previously described. The upper end wall portion 28 remains attached to the removable portions 64 and 82 of blanks or layers 40 and 42, and as seen in FIG. 3, these removable portions are pulling away from side wall portion 20 along with the adjacent cellophane portion to thereby provide a removable portion 126 in the side wall portion 20.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the holding tab means 108 has been moved to the opposite side of the package and the removable portion 116 has been removed from the side wall portion 20 but remains attached thereto along a line 120 at the lower edge of the removable portion. It is apparent that in this position, ready access is provided to the smoking articles or cigarettes 100 provided within the package, and it will be apparent that the open ends of the cigarettes are protected and that the cigarettes can be removed simply by grasping the middle of any particular cigarette to slide it out of the open end portion of the package. It will be noted that the removable portion 116 extends throughout a major portion of the associated side wall portion 20 so that all of the smoking articles within the package can be reached and removed readily through the open end portion thereof.

It will be apparent that each of the side It should also be noted that once the package has been opened into the position shown in FIG. 4 and a smoking article removed, the package can then again be closed by moving the holding tab means 108 back toward the position shown in FIG. 3 whereby the removable portion 116 will again fit within the cutout provided in side wall portion 20 and the upper end wall portion 28 may move :back into its original closing position, whereupon the holding tab means 108 can be again adhesively secured to the side wall portion 22 to retain the package in closed position. It is obvious that the package can be opened and closed any number of times in the manner discussed above.

Referring again to FIG. 7, panel 20' of the inner layer or blank 40 of material is provided with a suitable adhesive substance as indicated by the stippled area, this adhesive substance extending not only over the removable portion 64 but over the adjacent portions of the panel as well. When blank 42 is assembled in relation to blank 40, the stippled area or adhesive portion on blank 40 will cause the adjacent portions of the overlying panel 20 to be adhesively secured thereto. Accordingly, removable portion 82 of blank 42 will be adhesively secured to the removable portion 64 of blank 40, and the portions of panel 20" to either side of the removable portion 82 will be adhesively secured to the underlying portions of panel 20 on either side of the removable portion 64 thereof. In this manner, the layers 40 and 42 are adhesively secured together after the removable portions 64 and 82 have been pulled out into the position shown in FIG. 4, and this adhesive interconnection between panels 20' and 20" will prevent them from forming gaps adjacent the removable portion when the package is in the position shown in FIG. 4.

Also as seen in FIG. 7, the outer surface of removable portion 82 is provided with an adhesive substance thereon as indicated by the stippling whereby the overlying portion of panel 20 of blank 44 will be adhesively secured thereto. With this arrangement, when the removable portion is moved into the position shown in FIG. 4, the portion of panel 20" adhesively secured to the re movable portion 82 will be torn outwardly and carried along with the removable portion if the lower part of the cellophane covering is retained in position about the lower part of the package. When opening the package, the lower part of the outer cellophane layer may also be completely removed if desired, and in such a case, the stippling on panel portion 20" may be eliminated. Also, as an alternative arrangement, the entire lower part of the cellophane outer layer may be adhesively secured to the blank 42 in order to afford additional rigidity to the package.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 8-11 of the drawings, a modified form of the invention is illustrated wherein the package again comprises a generally rectangular hollow body means having parallel side wall portions 100 and 122 joined by a second pair of parallel side portions 124 and 126. A top end wall portion 128 is provided and a lower end wall portion 130 is provided, this construction being similar to that described in connection with the previously illustrated modification.

As seen particularly in FIG. 9, the package includes three layers of material or blanks 148, 142, and 144 which correspond to blanks 40, 42 and 44 illustrated in FIG. 7 and these blanks or layers as shown in FIG. 9 being of similar construction and arrangement to the blanks shown in FIG. 7.

As shown in FIG. 9, the three layers of material are disposed in juxtaposition to one another and are arranged similar to the previous modification to provide the overall package arrangement. A tear strip 146 similar to the tear strip 98 previously described is provided for tearing away the upper portion of the outermost layer 144 of material. A seal 148 and a holding tab means are rovided, these components being identical with members 106 and 108 previously discussed.

It is apparent that the modification shown in FIGS. 811 is quite similar to that previously described as to the features described thus far, the principal difference of this latter modification lying in the formation of the removable portion indicated generally by reference numeral 154. Whereas the removable portion provided in the first modification is of substantially rectangular shape, the removable portion 154 provided in the modification shown in FIGS. 8-11 is of tapered configuration, having a wider dimension adjacent the upper end wall portion 128 and tapering downwardly toward the lower end wall portion 130.

A further distinction lies in the fact that whereas the cutout portion 116 of the first modification is formed by cut lines extending throughout the length of the removable portion, the removable portion 154 includes cut lines 156 extending downwardly from an upper cut line 157 extending around the upper part of the package, cut lines 156 terminating at a point 158 where it joins a fold line 160 extending across the removable portion 154. Scored portions 162 extend downwardly from the cut lines 156 and provide weakened areas which may be readily torn away when desired.

The complete erected package is illustrated in FIG. 8, as well as in FIG. 9, and as seen in FIG. 10, the tear strip 146 has been removed so as to take off the upper part of the outer cellophane covering, and the holding tab means has been moved upwardly so as to remove the upper end wall portion and the atached removable portion. It will be apparent as seen in FIG. 10 that the removable portion will immediately pull out down to the point 158 and will bend along bend line for gaining access to the smoking articles disposed adjacent the open end portion of the package. The removable portion and the upper end wall portion 128 can then be removed back to the closed position and held in such position by the holding tab means.

When it is desired to gain access to the smoking articles disposed in the lower part of the package as seen in FIGS. 10 and 11, the holding tab means can be moved outwardly to the position shown in FIG. 11, whereupon the lower part of the removable portion will tear out along the weakened or scored lines 162 which also may be partly out if desired so as to enable it to be readily torn away. As noted in FIG. 11, the lower part of the removable portion can then be completely pulled away from the side wall portion 120 whereby the lowermost smoking articles in the package can be readily removed through the open end portion of the package.

In order to prevent gapping between the inner layer and the intermediate layer of material of the package, spots of adhesive 164 may be provided between the inner layer and the intermediate layer so as to particularly prevent gapping adjacent the removable portion when it has been torn out into the position shown in FIG. 11.

Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, a further modified form of the invention is illustrated wherein the package includes a hollow substantially rectangular body means including a pair of relatively wide parallel side wall portions and 172 which are joined at the opposite ends thereof by a pair of parallel relatively narrow side wall portions 174 and 176, the adjacent wall portions being disposed substantially perpendicular to one another. A pair of end wall portions 178 and 180 are provided which close off opposite ends of the package and which are interconnected with the adjacent side wall portions and extend substantially perpendicular thereto.

As seen particularly in FIG. 13, this package as the previous modifications is also formed of three blanks or layers of material indicated by reference numerals 186, 188 and 1% respectively, these three layers of material being of the same general construction as those discussed in connection with the previous modifications.

The usual seal 192 is afiixed to the upper portion of the package as seen in FIGS. 12 and 13, and a holding tab means 194 similar to those previously described is also provided in this modification.

A removable or cutout portion 198 is provided, this removable portion being defined between two out lines 200 and 202 formed in the side wall portion 170. It will be noted that these out lines intersect one another adjacent the lower end wall portion of the package thereby defining a substantially V-shaped cutout portion. These cutout lines 200 and 202 intersect with a cutout line 204 extending around the top end wall portion of the package so as to permit the top end Wall portion to be separated from the remaining side wall portions. In this particular modification, the top end Wall portion and the removable portion 198 may be completely removed from the package whereupon the portions of the intermediate layer which normally form the top portion of the package may be re-folded into position to close off the top of the package when desired. Here again the outer layer formed of cellophane or the like may either be removed or left in place as desired, and different portions of the cellophane may be adhesively connected to the intermediate layer if desired.

The tear strip 196 is afiixed to the outer layer 190 and as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, this tear strip extends about the package and lies in a substantial plane whereby the upper portion of the outer cellophane layer may be selectively removed.

Referring now to FIGS. 14 and 15 of the drawings, a further modification of the invention is illustrated which is quite similar to that shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. Similar parts have been given the same reference numerals primed, and the only difference in the modification shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 from that shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 is the arrangement of the tear strip 196'. In the modification shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the tear strip is arranged to follow the contour of the cutout portion 198 provided in the side wall portion 170. Accordingly, the tear strip in general follows the cut line 204' but also follows the cut lines 200' and 202' at the side wall portion 170'. As seen in FIG. 15, the tear strip has been torn from its original position and has traveled down along cut line 202 and back up along out line 200' so as to tear out a portion of the outermost layer of cellophane or the like of substantially the same configuration as the removable portion 198'.

In this arrangement, the lower part of the outer cellophane layer may be adhesively secured to the intermediate layer of material, and when the cellophane is removed, the removable portion may then be completely removed along with the removable upper end wall portion, and the lower part of the cellophane outer layer may remain in position so as to strengthen and rigidity the over-all package construction. It will also be noted in this modification as well as that shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 that the holding tab means may be employed for securing the removable upper end wall portion and the associated removable side wall portion in position to close off the package if desired. On the other hand, these removable portions may be discarded so as to provide permanent access to the interior of the package.

Referring now to FIGS. 16 and 17, a further modified form of the invention is provided. In this modification, the package again includes a substantially rectangular body means including a pair of relatively Wide parallel side wall portions 210 and 212 and a pair of relatively narrow end wall portions 214 and 216 which are parallel with one another and which extend substantially perpendicular to the other side wall portions. A top end wall portion 218 is provided and closes off the upper end of the package while the lower end wall portion 220' closes off The lower end of the package and is parallel with the upper end wall portion 218.

This type of package is somewhat different and of a more rigid construction than those previously described, and the intermediate layer of material is provided with greater stilfness in body so as to form more or less a hard pack arrangement. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the outermost layer of material which comprises cellophane has been omitted for the purpose of illustration, it being understood that this modification is generally surrounded by a cellophane outer layer in the same manner as that modification shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, for example.

In this type of construction wherein the body means is a little more rigid, a removable cap member 222 is provided which is adapted to fit snugly about the upper portion of the package so as to close olf the entire package and provide a seal therewith.

As seen in FIG. 17, the intermediate layer 224 of relatively rigid material is illustrated as being disposed about the inner layer of material 226 which comprises paper having foil on the outside thereof. A conventional seal 23% is disposed over the top of the upper end wall portion 218 and a holding tab means 232 similar to those previously described is provided for holding the package in its closed position as shown.

The side wall portion 210 is provided with a cutout defined between a pair of cut lines 240 which taper downwardly and inwardly and join with, scored or partially cut lines 242 extending downwardly therefrom. A central embossed or recessed area 236 may be provided wherein a suitable emblem or the like may be disposed. The upper ends of cut lines 240 may either join with the cut lines extending across the upper end wall portion, or a certain part of the upper end wall portion may be selectively torn away by the user so as to be removed along with the removable portion of the side wall portion as defined between the cut and scored lines.

As seen in FIG. 17, the inner layer 226 is also provided with cut lines 246 corresponding to cut lines 240 and scored or partially cut lines 248 corresponding to lines 242 previously described. It is accordingly apparent that when employing the arrangement shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the outer cellophane layer is first removed, whereupon the holding tab means can be grasped and lifted upwardly to remove a certain desired portion of the upper end wall portion, whereupon the removable portion formed in the side wall portion 210 can be selectively moved away from its associated side wall portion. It will be understood that this modification may operate somewhat similar to that shown in FIGS. 8 through 11 wherein the removable portion may first be bent back down to the part where the scored or partially cut lines begin, whereupon the removable portion can then be selectively removed to a greater degree as desired by tearing along these scored or partially cut lines.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 18 and 19, a further modified form of the invention is illustrated wherein a protective container is provided as indicated generally by reference numeral 250, this container being formed of any suitable material such as leather, plastic or the like, and this container may either be flexible or of rigid construction. The container includes a pair of side wall portions 252 and 254 which are parallel with one another and a pair of side wall portions 256 and 258 which are also parallel with one another and extend substantially perpendicular to the other side wall portions. A bottom wall portion 259 is also connected between the lower ends of the side wall portions to provide a bottom for the container.

As seen in FIG. 19, the side wall portion 252 is provided with a cutout 260 which is illustrated as being substantially V-shaped in configuration, although the shape of this cutout may be varied to conform with the shape of the removable portion of a package to be employed therewith according to the present invention.

The V-shaped cutout portion tapers upwardly and forms two shoulders 262 and 264 at opposite sides of the side wall portion 252, these shoulder portions being disposed slightly below the upper edges of the adjacent side wall portions. A package 266 is indicated as being disposed within the container, this package being of a construction according to the present invention and being for example of the type which is illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 wherein a V-shaped removable portion is provided in one of the side wall portions of the package. The dimensions of the container 250 are preferably such as to snugly receive an associated package, and as mentioned previously, the cutout 260 provided in the container may correspond in size and shape to the removable portion provided in an associated package.

As illustrated in FIG. 19, a plurality of smoking articles such as cigarettes are indicated by reference numeral 268 and are adapted to be removed through the open upper end of the container when it is in its open position as shown in FIG. 19.

A flap member 270 is connected with side wall portion 254 along a hinge area 2'72 which may be formed of flexible material, and the flap is illustrated in its closed position in FIG. 18 wherein it closes off the open upper end of the container and is disposed in overlying relationship to the cutout 260 provided in the side wall portion 252.

Flap 270 is retained in its closed position by means of a strap member 274 secured at its opposite ends to the side wall portions 256 and 258 and being spaced from side wall portion 252 sufficiently to snugly receive the flap 278 between strap member 274 and side wall portion 252.

It is apparent that the container 250 will provide a means for holding a novel package according to the present invention, and serves to provide additional protection, strength and rigidity thereto so as to afford a novel combination which is adapted to store cigarettes or other smoking articles therewithin and to provide a ready means for dispensing them from the combination. It is apparent that the cutout 260 provided in the side wall portion of the container enables a user to gain access to and remove smoking articles disposed in the package down to the bottommost smoking articles as seen in FIGS. 18 and 19.

It will be noted that in each of the previously described modifications, the package includes end wall portions having a certain length and width and side wall portions having a certain length and width wherein the length of the end wall portions in each modification is less than the length of each of the side wall portions of the package. In the following described modification, the package may be of the same size as the previously described packages, the arrangement being different in that the length of the end wall portions of the package are greater than the length of at least two of the side wall portions of the package.

Referring now to FIGS. 20 through 23 inclusive, the package comprises a substantially rectangular body means including a pair of opposite parallel side walls 300 and 302 and a further pair of opposite side walls 304 and 306 joining side walls 300 and 302 and extending substantially perpendicular thereto. A top end wall portion 308 closes off the upper end of the package as seen in the drawings, and a bottom end wall portion 310 closes off the opposite end portion of the package.

The package as shown in FIGS. 20 through 23 inclusive may also be constructed of three blanks similar to blanks 40, 42 and 44 illustrated in FIG. 7 of the drawing. The blanks may be formed of similar material as previously described.

The various blanks may be formed of joined panel portions just as the blanks shown in FIG. 7, the only difference being that the relative dimensions of the blanks would be changed in order to provide the configuration shown in FIGS. 20-23 inclusive. That is to say, certain panels of the blanks would have the long and short dimensions thereof changed so as to provide the finished configuration as seen in FIGS. 2023. Another possible way of forming the package illustrated in FIGS. 20-23 would be to utilize the blanks as shown in FIG. 7, while eliminating certain cut and fold lines therein and substituting different cut and fold lines so that what was formally a side wall portion now becomes an end wall portion which is removable along with the removable portion of one of the side wall portions. For example, in blank 40, cut lines 58 and 60 and fold line 62 could be eliminated, and cut lines 320 and 324 joining with a fold line 322 as illustrated in phantom lines could be substituted. In blank 42, cut lines 76 and 80 and fold line 78 could be eliminated and cut lines 330 and 338 and fold line 332 as illustrated in phantom lines could be substituted. Blanks 40 and 42 may also be provided with the cut lines 340 and 342 respectively as indicated in phantom lines to enable the end wall portion defined by these blanks in the finished package to be completely removed from the adjacent side wall portions. Blank 44 could also be modified by removing tear strip 98 and substituting other suitable tear strip portions to enable the cellophane to be removed in the manner disclosed in FIGS. 20 and 21, or a modified blank could be provided for the cellophane layer.

As in the previous modifications, holding tab means 340 is provided, this holding tab means being secured to the upper end wall portion 308 of the package and being adapted to hold this upper end portion along with the attached removable portion in place when so desired after the package has been opened. The upper end wall portion 308 is formed integral with the removable portion 344 defined by suitable cut lines formed in side wall portion 300. The removable portion can be seen as it is moved away from the plane of the associated side wall portion in FIGS. 22 and 23.

As seen in FIGS. 22 and 23, .a plurality of smoking articles such as cigarettes are indicated generally by reference numeral 348, and it will be noted that here again the cigarettes are so oriented within the the package that the longitudinal axes thereof extend substantially parallel with the upper and lower end wall portions of the package. It will be apparent that the manner in which the package is opened and the cigarettes dispensed therefrom is substantially the same in the modifications shown in FIGS. 20 through 23 inclusive as that previously discussed in connection with FIGS. 1 through 4 inclusive. As in the previously described modifications, suitable adhesive substance may be provided between various portions of the different layers of the package in order to secure such portions to one another as desired.

It is apparent from the foregoing that there is provided according to the present invention a new and novel package for smoking articles, and more particularly for cigarettes which are of shorter length than usual. The package of the present invention provides a convenient manner of dispensing the smoking articles and the smoking articles need not be grasped by the tips thereof but may simply be grasped at a central area thereof to remove them from the package whereby the tips do not get unnecessarily soiled or in unsanitary condition. The opposite open ends of the smoking articles are protected while they are in the package thereby retaining the freshness of the smoking articles and preventing the loss of tobacco from such open end portions. Means is provided in the form of a holding tab means for normally holding the package in its closed position and also affording a means for readily opening the package. A novel combination of .a package in a protective container is also provided which atfords the abovedescribed advantages.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, and since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims, all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents are therefore intended to be embraced by those claims.

I claim:

1. A package for smoking articles including four side walls, each side wall being disposed substantially perpendicular to the adjacent side wall, a pair of opposite end walls each extending substantially perpendicular to the associated side wall and closing oif opposite ends of said package, a plurality of smoking articles disposed within said package, said smoking articles being elongated with the longitudinal axes thereof disposed substantially parallel with said end walls of the package, one of said side walls having cut lines defining a removable portion formed in the central part thereof so as to provide an access opening to the interior of said package, the opposite side edges of said removable portion being spaced from the adjacent side edges of said one side wall defining spaced parts of said one side wall retaining said smoking articles in position by contacting opposite ends of the adjacent smoking articles, said removable portion being attached at one end thereof with one of said end walls and extending to a point closely spaced from the opposite end wall of the package so that all of the smoking articles in the package can be readily grasped through said access opening, said one end wall being separable and movable with respect to at least three of said side walls whereby said removable portion and said one end wall may be manually moved away from said one side wall so that the entire end of the package is open and the smoking articles can be grasped in the center portion thereof through the access opening provided by said removable portion and the smoking articles then being removable through the unobstructed open end of the package.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including holding tab means attached to said separable end wall and extending therefrom, said holding tab means including means for securing the holding tab means to the side wall opposite to the side wall having said removable portion therein whereby when the holding tab means is secured to the associated side wall it retains the separable end wall and the attached removable portion in position to close the package.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said walls include a plurality of layers of material, said layers ineluding an inner layer, an intermediate layer and an outer layer, said inner layer and said intermediate layer being secured to one another at certain portions, and said intermediate layer and said outer layer being secured to one another at certain portions.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said removable portion is of generally rectangular configuratron.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said removable portion is of tapered configuration and tapers to a smaHer dimension in a direction toward said opposite end wall.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said removable portion is defined by a pair of cut lines and a pair of score lines aligned with said out lines.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including a protective container, said container including a plurality of side walls and an end wall fixedly secured thereto to define a space for receiving said package, said container also including an opposite end wall which is movable connected with one of said side walls, another of said side walls of said container having a cutout formed therein adapted to lie closely adjacent to the removable portion of said package so as to provide an access into the package, and said end wall of the container which is movably attached to one of the side walls thereof including a flap adapted to close ofi said cutout portion formed in the side wall of the container.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,291,984 1/1919 Maloney.

1,806,905 5/1931 Kampfman 206-41 X 1,836,228 12/1931 Dryer 229-87 X 1,861,361 5/1932 Rich 20648 2,109,100 2/ 1938 Brophy.

2,984,384 5/ 1961 Chalmers 229-87 X 2,997,163 8/1961 Wardi 20641 FOREIGN PATENTS 408,155 4/ 1934 Great Britain.

646,326 6/ 1937 Germany.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PACKAGE FOR SMOKING ARTICLES INCLUDING FOUR SIDE WALLS, EACH SIDE WALL BEING DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE ADJACENT SIDE WALL, A PAIR OF OPPOSITE END WALLS EACH EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE ASSOCIATED SIDE WALL AND CLOSING OFF OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID PACKAGE, A PLURALITY OF SMOKING ARTICLES DISPOSED WITHIN SAID PACKAGE, SAID SMOKING ARTICLES BEING ELONGATED WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXES THEREOF DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH SAID END WALLS OF THE PACKAGE, ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS HAVING CUT LINES DEFINING A REMOVABLE PORTION FORMED IN THE CENTRAL PART THEREOF SO AS TO PROVIDE AN ACCESS OPENING TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID PACKAGE, THE OPPOSITE SIDE EDGES OF SAID REMOVABLE PORTION BEING SPACED FROM THE ADJACENT SIDE EDGES OF SAID ONE SIDE WALL DEFINING SPACED PARTS OF SAID ONE SIDE WALL RETAINING SAID SMOKING ARTICLES IN POSITION BY CONTACTING OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE ADJACENT SMOKING ARTICLES, SAID REMOVABLE PORTION BEING 